Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 8/28/17 ~ One Semester Left...

So.... if we were talking in school terms, I have one semester left. 9 weeks.... I think that with each time i realize how little time is left, the more I feel motivated to work harder:) I Really do love being a missionary and all the things that I have learned and keep learning, even though I dont love the constant heat, and sun. President Ruiz sent a letter this week reminding us of the importance of thanking the Lord in all things, and put a quote by english author Auldos Huxley that says that the majority of human beings have an almost infinite capacity to not value things. I think that is so true, and I know that gratitude is one of the most important parts of becoming like our Savior.

This week was great, and we finally felt like we were working hard, but it was a little disheartening because not a single one of our investigators committed to going to church this week. Every single one of them said until next week. Part of being a missionary is realizing that everyone has their agency, and as much as we want people to receive blessings... they are the ones who decide if they receive them.

We had a training from the stake this week on Family history work, and I will be the first to admit that im the worst in that element of church and missionary work. That has always been an achilles heel of mine... but i really admire the people who do it, and hope to one day participate more in it. This week we have been trying to work more with the members and get to know them, and this is honestly the best ward that i have had in my whole mission. They visit the members, they are plenty of young men and young women, WE HAVE A GOSPEL PRINCIPLES TEACHER, and I couldnt be happier to be here. 

Last night, I was reminded of Papa because we went to go visit one of my favorite member families (the couple is older and members of about 30 years and they bicker like Nana and Papa) but we were talking about the importance of understanding church doctrine, and the husband brought out a copy of the book a marvelous work and a wonder and shared a part that talks about how the real conflict in religion is between catholics and mormons. Its either the one or the other. That was exactly what Papa shared with me about 5 years ago. It was a very neat experience and I was happy to remember it. 

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Elder Jordan Saunooke

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 8/21/17 ~ Una buena planchada cada dia

So this week seemed to be a very uneffective week because every day, somehow something came up that changed our plans and we werent able to work as well as we wanted. That must mean we are close to achieving something! We are now covering the other side of our area where there were 2 other Elders before, so our workload is double and we are still getting to know the members of a huge ward. Its great though, and since my companion is one of my best friends, every day is super fun:)

The funny part of this week is that somehow every single day some member, or contact, or investigator has planched us in some form or another. For example we were contacting a lady who said that she had previously talked with missionaries around 2 years and i made the joke that we are the same just more handsome, and she said that every child of God is handsome and it doesnt matter where they come from or who they are... lots of times the people here are like the guy from Guardians of the Galaxy that dont understand jokes and take everything literally... sometimes its frustrating but its funny:P Another time was when we went to a lesson with a member who was actually in the same mission as president Ruiz, and my companion made the joke of how can we get a good wife, and he responded serve faithfully the rest of your mission and dont think about it.... yeah something like that every day happened hahahhahhahaXD

We also did visits this week accompanied by Pepe who is a member with some mental challenges but is hilarious in the stuff that he says. We went to see a member who was telling us about how her daughter is in love with a guy who is basically a loser, and Pepe says... and i loved her so much!! I love that guy! He cracks me up!

We found a part member family that was  ready for marriage and baptism but they are moving in about a week and a half... so we need to look for more. 

We did a zone attack on Friday and my companion and i took another elder with us who has some challenges sometimes but this kid is hilarious. He is from the Dominican republic and even the way he talks cracks me up. We have been focusing on zone attacks lately to help the areas have more success and more investigators.

On Sunday we felt super tired, because we each gave a talk, and then we taught two classes, and then we had a meeting with a guy that works with the high council and missionary work in the stake. It wasnt really a day of rest, but i guess thats part of being anxiously engaged in a good cause:) We also saw Yazumi on sunday who came to visit and I loved seeing her again! she is one of my favorite people ever. She is a member from kanasin.

We found a sweet barbershop here in Centro and even though its kind of like a gangster place with a tattoo art vibe, its got air conditioning and they do a good job, and i honestly love real barbershops! 

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 8/14/17 ~ DEATH LETTER

So this week was really a great week, and just like it always happens... time goes by so fast when you are with one of your best friends!! I only have 11 weeks left and we are working super hard to make every minute count!!!

On tuesday we had a baptism for Eliodoro that was such a wonderful testimony building exprerience.We had a baptism the saturday before which was kind of depressing because only two people showed up and we have a huge ward so it was super disappointing. But On Tuesday we had over 30 people there and the whole family is now members of the church. His wife and daughter got baptized a little over a month ago but now the family is complete and what is even better is that he got baptized on his daughters birthday:)) 

We had a really sad teaching experience this week because we were teaching an old investigator that had wanted to get baptized before but he is a really hard guy to teach because he basically told us, if we were created in gods image he is basically perfect, he has no consequences for not living the commandments, that Jesus Christ was nothing more than a good man, and that if it werent for his material possessions he might consider taking his life... it was very sad. He looks and acts a little bit like Sherlock Holmes and has lived in Switzerland, canada, nigeria, and has had everything... but at the same time nothing because he is empty inside.

I love being with my companion and we found a super awesome family yesterday that is part member. 

This week my death letter (card that tells me im just about to finish the mission) came in and so we all took pictures together.

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 8/7/17 ~ 21 months and Baptisms... aaanddd the Godfather!

This week was the fastest week of the transfer and it was full of surprises. Elder Lambert who is my best friend and probable future godfather of my children, was moved up to the judgement seat or in other words is the new AP to President Ruiz. 

On Tuesday we did divisiones with the elderes of Zaziha and it was super fun. i went with elder Medina and even though we didnt have one single appointment the whole day, it was great and we walked probably 8 miles and contacted around 15 people. At night time we found a really cool guy that lives close to the house of the elders there. The next day we finished divisiones after lunch (we ate in Dominos) and before we ate we contacted a lady that was golden! She had never spoken with the missionaries and loves the message and on top of that also has an 8 year old son... #bathtime. 

On Friday we also did divisiones with the elderes of Castilla Camara and i went with Elder Herrera who is super hilarious and we had a blast! We also did two baptismal interviews because on saturday... two of our investigators got baptized!! It was such an amazing experience because it was honestly the first family that ive found at the beginning of a transfer and that has gotten baptized at the end of the same transfer in all the time that i have in the mission. They are two kids from a very humble family that we found the first week, and its been amazing to see how much their testimonies have grown and how much they have been able to progress in such little time. 

Last night we got the changes and im staying in my area and im with one of my best friends in the whole mission. It might be trouble because we get along too well hahahahah!! I am now with Elder Zarate who was my zone leader when i was in Kanasin!! I am super happy and its going to be a great change!!

Love you guys tons and hope you have a great week!!

Elder Jordan Saunooke

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 7/31/17 ~ Sick Again:( Oh and 21 months

On Wednesday we had a giant multizone meeting and the coolest part about it you might ask??? I didnt have to do anything but show up;) That may sound bad as you read it but it was our turn to just participate instead of plan the practices, and share the teaching, and it was nice for a turn to just kind of be. We also started doing our divisiones with the assistents. We didnt have the chance to eat until about 5 that night and we ordered a pizza which was our lunch and then we walked from the offices of the mission to the area of the assistents. According to them it was about a 15 minute walk, but it was more like 30 hahahaha:P I went with Elder Tingey and it was super fun being with someone from my generation and we honestly worked really well together.

The next day I woke up super sick and with the flu and a fever.... so instead of walking to the buses in Centro, I called Romel and he took us to our area. It was great seeing him. Thursday was kind of a rest day because I had a fever and we tried to go out and work but the appointments fell, and that was basically Heavenly Father saying go home and rest. So I did.  

The next day we went to a pueblo called Molas so that we can have more investigators, and it was fun to just show up to a place without any investigators and just start contacting and preaching and seeing what would happen. That night we went and taught an old investigator named Jesus that is from the Ciudad of Mexico, that had a baptismal date before but has not been able to receive an answer about Joseph Smith. It was a great lesson because he started also voicing some doubts about Judas Iscariot betraying Jesus Christ because he cant understand how someone could betray someone so loving and so perfect. It was a very interesting lesson and we hope to be able to help him develop a testimony. 

On Saturday we did a zone attack in the area of Dolores Otero and its always fun to work together as a zone. We were able to find some new investigators and help out the sisters there.

On Sunday we had 5 investigators in church and we are now in the last week of the transfer cycle. Its all going by so fast!!!

I wanna wish a happy birthday to two of my favorite people in the whole world, happy birthday Cole and Lindsey i love you guys tons and hope you have a wonderful day!!!! I will be there to celebrate with you guys before you know it:)

Love,

Elder Jordan Saunooke

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 7/24/17 ~ Two Baptisms, Divisiones, I wanna adopt, and Electric Acupuncture

So this week seemed to be pretty long but it was great!! We did divisiones on Tuesday and I went with Elder Medina and it was the most fun I have had in a long time. I hadnt been with him since the CCM practically and it was like working with my best friend... so the day went by super fast!!! We found a really cool youth that is 17 and she completely understood the restoration and the need to be baptized and hopefully we will be able to keep teaching her:) We installed the ac finally that night and it turns out it was a good thing i have  former real estate agents as parents because popping of screens... #notaproblem. 

I also did divisiones with Elder Needler this week who just has three changes in the mission field but it was great to work with someone who is still learning and we had an awesome experience. We contacted a lady that was outside her house waiting for someone when we were returning back home and she was gold! It was like a contact from the videos from the MTC of the district hahhaa! She started understanding and accepting everything and told us that we are the true church because no other church has twelve apostles, and she put her own appointment and has an 8 year old son #bathtime

Yesterday we had an interesting experience that made us feel very tense but.... it turned out good at the end. We went to go see an investigator that we found a few weeks ago, and she wasnt home so we started talking with her neighbor who we also teach but in that timeframe the one we saw her because she came home but couldnt get in... so she and her daughter went downstairs to the outdoor play area. She looked really sad and we went to see her and we asked her what was wrong and she said everything was fine but that she was locked out of her house. Her husband showed up drunk later and mad at the world... he threw his helmet on the ground and was screaming at her. He said that the day before he had waited for her outside the house for 7 hours and she never came home and that is why he locked her out. They have lots of problems between them, and when he showed up i knew it was going to get bad, and so i told the daughter to come over to me and i distracted her taking pics on my camera. She felt the need to be secure and she came and put her head on my shoulder and I was about ready to adopt the girl in that moment... it all turned out good though because at the end they both told us that they want us to visit them and help them:)

Last night we went with my favorite family in the ward the Rivero family (the ones that lived in Florida) and when i told them that my back hurted they took out a massage machine and the dad did a massage thing and the daughter took out this electric acupuncture thing and started unblocking all my nerve and energy channels...it was weird but really cool and i was super hard to unblock and when it finally worked it was on a very high level.. the mom is very into that kind of stuff and right off the bat she asked if i get mad quickly or if im impatient... and i was like well actually yeah hahhaa:) Crazy how sometimes stuff manifests itself:P They also made us pancakes for dinner:))

I love you all tons and hope you have a great week:))

Elder Jordan Saunooke

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 7/10/17 ~ Pequeños Milagros

Hi Family! I hope you had a great fourth of July week and that there were lots of fireworks involved for my part! We did divisiones on the fourth and I went with Elder Lopez and he had the national anthem on his usb so we heard that a few times, but unfortunately there was a protest against the lack of neighborhood security in another part of our area and the streets were closed and we couldnt order pizza.... but we did find lots of future investigadores. 

The coolest experience of this week was finding an investigador named Eduardo. We contacted him outside while it was raining and he was lighting a cigarette. We asked him about his concept of religion and God and he told us that for him God can be a plant or an animal or something in nature. We explained the Godhead to him and left him a pamphlet of the plan of salvation. We found him two days later and he explained to us that he had read and understood that before this life we lived with God as his spirit children and that the fall of Adam and Eve was something God knew would happen, and that through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can overcome the fall. We then gave him a pamphlet of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he loved it and said he understood that he needs to get baptized. A Jehova´s Witness tried to give a pamphlet and he said you can give it to me but im sorry im mormon!!! The guy even had his wife iron his pants to go to church and he took out some brand new shoes. The bad news is that he is moving to Mexico city this week and he was so sad to tell us that. 

We were able to place 6 baptismal dates this week and of the 11 investigators that said they were gonna show up, 6 of them did so that was great:)) We should have about 5 more baptisms this change so lets see what happens:)

I love you all tons and hope you have a great week!!

Elder Jordan Saunooke

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 7/3/17 ~ 20 months, first move, and two baptisms

Hi family!!! I cant believe that tomorrow I hit twenty months in the mission field!! Literally everytime someone asks me how much time I have left and I tell them, they respond saying... o ya mero te vas... or in english youre basically giong home:P

At first this week was a little hard because I honestly learned my area in two days because its so small... but we are finding people and i think we have three pueblitos we are going to be working in:) On Tuesday we had to move houses and we moved to the furthest but newest part of Arboleda that is called Cielo Alto... it looks super fresa and nice but its more low key that what it looks like. That was the first time that ive had to change houses in 20 months in the mission because I always have avoided it but I guess it finally caught up to me. 

My area has a recent convert that is 19 years old that is seriously one of the most powerful converts i have ever met. He got baptized three weeks ago and I would swear he has been a member his whole life. 

This week we had two baptisms of a mom and a daughter that are really such great examples to me. The Dad was going to get baptized too but he kinda pulled a nutty last second and took off for another state without warning.. I think he will come back though. Anyway these two amazing women (one of them 16 years old) still decided to get baptized this week and are strong as ever in their testimony of the true church of Jesus Christ. 

I met the coolest family ever this week that lives in the counter corner of our house. They are the Familia Rivero and they actually lived in Florida for 4 years! They are so good to us and literally whatever we need at whatever time they do it automatically without even asking. Food, washer and dryer, or whatever and are so great to the missionaries. The ward has the biggest assistence I have seen since i got on the mission and we were about 150 on Sunday!

Love you all

Elder Jordan Saunooke

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 6/26/17 ~ Adios Tanlum!

Well just like I predicted... i had transfers this week! I said goodbye to Tanlum this morning after being there for 6 months and now im in the Zona Merida and im with Elder Mejia. The only sad thing is that the missionaries here had ac, but people broke into the house and stole it... good thing we are moving tomorrow even if it is a pain in the butt:P 

The best part about last week was Sunday. We were heading to church and we couldnt walk very fast because Elder Roa had a huge blister that burst on his ankle, and we were going to get there late but then our investigator happened to show up right on time and she was going to church with us! She like it so much that she asked us if she can split in two because she knows its true but doesnt wanna leave her church:P 

Also Dulce and Olaf invited us to eat lunch with them this week and it was super fun because we cooked tacos dorados... They are the same family that we made sushi with! Olaf said that he loved that we are with his family and even if he isnt there he likes us being there because we are such good examples to his children:) 

I dont have much to say this week, but I love you all tons and hope you have a great week! We are in the rainy season here so every day is lots of sun and rain somehow mixed together:P

Love,

Elder Jordan Saunooke

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 6/19/17 ~ Pictures!! BUENAS....

 BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Big Ears, Big Brain!

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 6/19/17 ~ Mission Memories!

LOOK WHAT I FOUND! :)

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 6/19/17 ~ Full of Divisiones...

This week was a week full of divisiones. I like divisiones but they are kind of tiring sometimes and it makes it hard to plan, but it helps us to have new investigators in the area. We did divisiones with the Elderes of Pinos and it was lots of fun because they are both really new in the mission so they have lots of energy and still arent accustomed to everything.  

On thursday we had our interviews with presidente Ruiz, and he practically told me that im going to have transfers this week. He asked me how much time i had in the area and when i told him 6 months, he said well i think its time then unless you really feel differently about it.... so we will see what happens this week:) He also asked me how much time I have in the mission and when i told him 19 months he said wow its the last sprint then:)

On Friday we had our 8 principles meeting and it was really cool because for the first time in like 4 tranfers my companion and I didnt have to prepare anything! We just showed up and had fun teaching:) We then went and did divisiones with the assistents afterwards and I went with Elder Mordasini. He only has a year and its his second transfer as assistent! 

On Saturday we ate lunch with Olaf, Dulce, and their two sons. They are one of our best investigator families and we made sushi with them and it was so fun! It was really good and was a great mission experience:)

Last night we ate dinner with Rommel and I am really gonna miss him and his wife Brenda! I am so grateful for the people that i have met and I know I will always treasure these memories.

Love you guys tons

Elder Jordan Saunooke

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 6/12/17 ~ Global Warming is Real

Hi family!!! I think I can officially say that my eyebrows are three different colors from so much sun here!! This week was a good, but challenging week. The biggest struggle in the mission is finding new investigators and now that we have contacted the better part of our area sometimes its difficult to find new investigators but somehow we always do:) 

On Thursday I had to teach an english class and its honestly really hard to teach a language. One of the investigators of the sisters of our zona is some sort of metafisica psychologist that is pretty cocky but knows a lot of english and kept wanting to say weird sentencies like ¨before being born we were entities of light¨ and i was like uhuhh yeah sure:P  we also ate tacos afterwards in some taco stand of a member that lives close by, and I tried tacos de cabeza.. not my favorite but not bad either.

On Friday we had a lesson at night with a partial family who the husband is a chef, and a member of like 15 years who has been inactive, and his wife is catholic but very receptive. They want to one day get married in the temple and we are working with them but they dont show up to sacrament meeting:( We showed up to teach them but we had to go to the mother in laws house because it was her birthday and they were over there. When they invited us in we realized that if it hadnt been for the fact that we know them we never would be able to get into a house like that. It had a library and a bunch of catholic statues. Rich and catholic usually dont let us in but this was the exception hahhaa:P

I hope you guys are doing great and I love you tons! Happy Father´s Day Dad love you tons and Ill be there to celebrate our birthday!

Elder Jordan Saunooke

Elder Jordan Saunooke ~ 6/5/17 ~ 19 Months!

This week seems to have passed by super fast also, and I honestly have a hard time remembering all the stuff that happens now hahhaa. We have had success this week working with a family in the Terranova area that came to a cake activity that we did with the ward where the investigators judged the cakes, and then they showed up to sacrament meeting and also a stake choir event! We had a lidership meeting this friday and we were super tired because it started at 9 and ended at like 3 in the afternoon and we just barely had time to go eat in our area and then go to do some baptismal interviews in Pinos. The family that was going to get baptized was going to be baptized by the dad who just got baptized a few weeks ago, and the dad was sick and so they wanted to postpone the baptism. I didnt really want that to happen because I know that Satan works really hard to make situations happen so that people dont get baptized, so we invited them to say a prayer with us and ask Heavenly Father if they should get baptized. We prayed and waited a few minutes and talked with them, and they all strongly felt that they should stick with the baptismal date. It was a very rewarding experience. 

Last night we had a misionary activity at a stake level and we had around 15 investigators that came!! It was a great activity and I hope we can keep working this change to make some miracles happen.

Love you all tons,

Elder Jordan Saunooke

#HappyMemorialDay